Just A Theory
by KrissaKittyKay
Summary: In a world much different from ours, a girl finds a young man...who's fallen from the sky? Meet Mat, a brilliant guy whose theories are unparalleled by anyone, and Kaite, a female warlock who's trying to save her home. Join the adventure as Kaite and Mat learn to work together so they can escape this nightmare. Mentions of sexual abuse/rape. WARNING: GAY CONTENT. No like, no read
1. Chapter 1

_A door at the end of a long corridor.  
Anyone in their right minds would avoid that door.  
But there are some who would open it just for the sake of finding the truth.  
Even at the cost of never returning home._

 _ **Third person view**_

Her heart pounded in her chest, her breathing ragged as she chanced a backwards glance.  
The shadow was still after her, never changing pace but yet catching up.  
Turning back to the path ahead of her, she put on an extra burst of speed, her lungs screaming for respite.  
Suddenly, she burst into a clearing illuminated by moonlight.  
She dashed to the middle, then stopped and turned around.  
The shadow had vanished.  
She hadn't needed to see its face to know that it was a soldier of the new empire.  
They'd been hounding strays for almost a year now.  
She fell to her knees, panting.  
"Heh." The girl sneered, wiping a thin stream of blood from her split lip.  
"Thought you could catch the uncatchable. How arrogant of you." She scolded under her breath.  
Then, from some distance away, she heard an enormous sound.  
Like a thunderclap through a megaphone.  
Startled, her first instinct was to run, but something inside her was transfixed by the flash of multi-hued lightning that followed.  
The girl got to her feet, and ran towards the direction of the sound without really knowing why.  
Her feet pounded against the ground, taking towards the desert lands on the outskirts of the forest she'd been running through earlier.  
She skidded to a halt as she caught sight of a prone figure lying on a patch of sand surrounded by molten glass.  
She was still a good enough distance out, so she started running again, and leapt over the moat of glass, landing right next to the figure that she now saw was a young man.  
"Ugh, picked a bad place for a nap, buddy." She muttered, looking for a way to get him out of the ring of mess.

 _ **?**_

I woke up with my head pounding and feeling freezing cold.  
I groaned as I sat up, stretching out my arms.  
"Oh, he's awake! Toby, go get Kaite." I heard a female voice call.  
I looked over to where the voice came from, and saw a girl with platinum silver-blue hair and grey eyes sitting on an old chair.  
She grinned lightly, waving at me.  
"Morning, sleepy-head." She said cheerily.  
I rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the dim light.  
"Ugh, what…where am I?" I muttered.  
The blue-haired girl shrugged.  
"We call it Hell-on-Earth, but its proper name is Umbratisa." She told me.  
I was about to ask her name when two people walked into the room – well, I guess we were in a cavern of some sort, so more like side-cave.  
"Well, I was just wondering if I should've left you in the sand dunes." The second girl said, crossing her arms.  
The young man that was standing next to her tugged her sleeve, and pointed to the back of the cavern.  
"Uh, Kaite? Should I get back to work now?" He asked.  
His voice was deeper than I'd expected, and he sounded like a 13-year-old.  
The girl nodded, and he headed off to the back of the cavern.  
Then she turned back to me.  
Her eyes were the thing that unnerved me the most.  
They were a startling bright green, so they seemed almost out-of-place in the darkness of the cave.  
Her hair was a dark brownish-red, pulled back into twin ponytails.  
She looked rather thin for someone of her height, and she carried herself with an air of someone who has something to fight for.  
I felt a little scared of her for some reason.  
"So, I assume you have a name?" She asked, lifting herself onto a nearby ledge.  
I nodded, not wanting to say the wrong thing on accident.  
Apparently, I chose wrong.  
She scowled at me, waving her hand around in an 'and' gesture.  
"Well? What is it?" She asked patronizingly.  
That made me a little indignant.  
"Mat." I snapped, pulling my knees up to my chest and placing my chin atop of them, making it obvious that she'd ticked me off.  
She chuckled, jumping off her ledge.  
"Fiery one, aren't you Matthew?" She asked me, her voice holding a tone like she was talking to a child as she ruffled my hair.  
I tried to duck out of her grasp, but she grabbed my hair, forcing me to look up at her.  
Her eyes seemed to soften and turn sad as my eyes met hers.  
Slowly, she knelt down in front of me, letting go of my hair and taking my chin gently in her other hand.  
"Can't be…" She murmured.  
"Kaite?" The blue-haired girl said, placing her hand on the other girl's shoulder.  
The second girl, Kaite I assumed, looked at her friend, then back at me.  
She ran her thumb over my bottom lip, then dropped her hand and stood up.  
"Right." She muttered, then turned to face the far end of the cave.  
"HEY, GUYS! NEWBIE'S UP!" She called out gently enough, but the echoes made it a thousand times louder.  
Four more guys came over to where we were, one of which I recognized as Toby from earlier.  
"Boys, introduce yourselves to the new blood." Kaite said, a daredevil grin on her face as she placed her hands on her hips.  
Toby grinned back, walked over, and sat down by my right.  
"You already know me, I guess." He said, holding out his hand.  
I took it and shook it.  
"Yeah, I do. Toby, right? I'm Mat." I said cheerily, feeling my old confidence return.  
Toby was a tall guy, with curly light-brown hair that stuck out on either side of his old-fashioned aviator cap.  
His eyes were a dark brown, not as dark as mine, but still noticeable.  
He had an odd accent that I couldn't identify, but his voice was the kind of voice that could be soothing in bad situations.  
Another guy came up, snatching Toby's cap off his head and ruffling his hair teasingly as he sat down next to Toby.  
"Hey, there! I'm Josh. Toby's my buddy!" He said, his voice unusually cheerful and full of humor.  
His hair was black except for the top, which was a crimson red.  
He had it parted like I wore mine, and he had black framed squareish glasses.  
He also had dark brown eyes, which sparkled behind the lenses of his glasses.  
One of the guys went to stand by Kaite, looking a little scared.  
The third guy, a well-built dude with dark blue hair, sat at my left.  
"Name's Johnny Quib. Toby and Josh have the same last name, so it gets confusing sometimes." He said, grinning mischievously and winking at the other two.  
Toby blushed lightly, but Josh seemed a little ruffled.  
"So, what're their last names?" I asked hesitantly.  
"Jones." They said at the same time.  
I raised an eyebrow in amusement.  
Kaite cleared her throat loudly to get our attention.  
"This guy's Davie. He's…not really a people person." She said, gesturing to the dude next to her.  
"And you've already met Emma." She continued, pointing at the blue-haired girl, who made a 'peace' sign at me.  
"Sup?" She asked.  
A green-haired guy came bounding into the room, a hat hanging from his belt.  
"And I'm Shane." He said, grinning like an idiot as Josh pulled him down to the floor next to him, putting his arms around his waist.  
"They're together." Johnny whispered.  
I made an _Oh_ face.  
Kaite spread her arms wide, shrugging.  
"This is my crew. Welcome to the team, kid." She said, holding a hand out to me.  
I took it, and she pulled me to my feet.  
"I'm 29." I said offendedly.  
Kaite shrugged again, and turned to Toby.  
"You said you had something, Tobes?" She asked.  
Toby jumped to his feet, as did Josh.  
"Yeah. I think you're gonna love this." Toby said, ducking slightly as Josh plopped his cap back on his head.  
"Turn around, you nut." Josh said laughingly, spinning Toby to face him so he could fix the cap.  
Toby went a little pink, but I was sure that only I could see it in the dim cavern light.  
Josh patted Toby's head once, then took his wrist and started for the back of the cavern room.  
"We think we've pinpointed their main base!" He cried, his enthusiasm echoing off the walls.  
Kaite's face went stony, drained completely of color.  
Her eyes grew hard, and she took off after them.  
"Kaite!" Emma yelled, running after her and Davie, who was already hot on Kaite's heels.  
I turned to Johnny, who looked worried.  
"Who's main base?" I asked him.  
He turned to me, his eyes cold, and the only thing he said was:  
"White Cord."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"White Cord has been reported to hit this town the most." Josh said, pointing to a city not far from a red mark on the map.  
I stood next to Emma, keeping my voice down as I asked:  
"What's White Cord?"  
"White Cord is bad news." She answered in a low voice, but Kaite had heard my question.  
"White Cord is a rapist gang, kid." She told me sternly.  
"Sex offenders on a whole other level. All male. The lowest form of scum on the face of this world."  
Kaite's voice grew harder and colder as she spoke, her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white.  
I looked over to Emma, who mouthed _killed her brother._  
I felt uneasy at that.  
"Kaite…" I heard a soft voice say.  
I turned to see Davie holding on to Kaite's arm, looking worried.  
Kaite took a deep breath, and her shoulders seemed to loosen.  
"I'm okay, Davie." She said gently.  
I turned to Emma again, and she looked surprised.  
"I take it he doesn't talk much." I whispered.  
Emma shook her head.  
"In all the time I've known him, he's only ever said two things to me." She replied.  
I was about to ask something else when a high-pitched yelp rang out, and I saw Josh scrambling backwards.  
"THERE WAZZA MAOWSS!" He cried, pointing at a little grey animal sitting right where his hand had been.  
Emma started cracking up.  
"Eddie, there you are!" She exclaimed, picking up the mouse.  
Josh shuddered, then caught Kaite's cold stare.  
Shirking, he returned to his spot.  
Kaite sighed slowly, tapping the tabletop with her nails.  
"Emma, please put Eddie back in his pen." She said through gritted teeth.  
Emma nodded, and took her pet away.  
I turned to the young woman, my mind whirling with questions.  
Where was this place?  
How did I get here?  
Why did it seem like the world was going through some sort of apocalypse?  
My train of thought de-railed when I saw her face suddenly flush a whitish-grey.  
I quickly moved behind her before she fell to the floor.  
"Kaite?!" Davie exclaimed, sounding worried.  
I checked her pulse.  
"She's fine, Davie. Just asleep." I reassured him.  
Davie nodded, but didn't seem too sure.  
Emma came back out and saw Kaite passed out in my lap.  
"Omigosh, is she okay?" She asked, dashing over.  
I shrugged, brushing Kaite's bangs out of her face.  
"I think so. She went pale and just collapsed." I told her.  
Emma sighed in relief and pulled something out of her back pocket.  
"God, I hate being the only one with the reflexes for this." She grumbled, unstoppering what I recognized as a bottle of knock-out salts and holding it under Kaite's nose.  
Instantly, Kaite shot up, her fist swinging straight in front of her.  
Emma looked as shocked as I felt when a split-second later my hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in mid-swing.  
"Whoa." I murmured, letting go slowly.  
Kaite looked at me, her eyes soft again.  
"Conner…" She said, her tone almost adoring.  
I shook my head, no doubt looking confused.  
"No, I'm Mat." I said.  
Kaite looked confused for a second, then the steel returned to her eyes and she scooted away from me so fast she could've qualified for the Indy 500.  
Emma helped Kaite to her feet, her eyes showing her concern.  
"I just passed out, Em. I'm fine." Kaite said sharply.  
Johnny walked over to Kaite, took her wrist in his grasp and started pulling her off to the side.  
Their voices were too low to hear, but they were obviously arguing about something.  
~~~~

 _ **Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~**_

"Johnny, let go!" I hissed at him, my eyes no doubt trying to burn their way through his thick skull.  
Johnny turned me around sharply to face him, grabbed me by the shoulders, and looked me straight in the eyes, matching my death stare in full.  
"When's the last time you ate something, Kaite?" He demanded in a low voice.  
I scoffed, shaking my head.  
"I don't know, three or four days ago?" I guessed.  
Actually, I hadn't eaten in half a week.  
I'd been giving all my rations to Davie.  
I hadn't been keeping Johnny up-to-date on the ration stock, and we didn't have enough to feed everyone properly.  
Times like these, no one really has food.  
Johnny's hold on my shoulders tightened a little.  
"You've been letting Davie have it again, haven't you?" He asked.  
I groaned.  
I forgot he could read minds.  
I guess I should tell you guys about our world.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This world is like an alternative Earth: a mirror world.  
Not like dogs have humans for pets, but still….it's different.  
It's a world under the rule of one bike gang: White Cord.  
No one challenges them because they're the most powerful group of magic-users in the world.  
English is the primary language in this world.  
After White cord came into power, they started developing side-branches of their gang to rule over all the villages.  
Many of the world's magic-users were killed, including my parents.  
My older brother and I wandered the country we lived in, looking for and looking after other orphan magic-user kids.  
After a while, we had a proper gang of our own: a bunch of kids who had no idea how to use their powers and no chance of survival.  
My brother – that is, Conner, - had been learning how to use magic from our dad, while mom had been teaching me.  
We finally found a place we could hide: the cave we were currently in.  
I taught Conner the things Mom had taught me, and he did the same for me with what Dad had shown him.  
Then we taught the others.  
Emma was the second oldest out of the group, only about two years younger than Conner.  
I was four years younger than my brother, but as we grew older it didn't make much difference to us.  
We never left each other's sides for very long, because we'd taught ourselves that nothing could hurt us if we stayed together.  
And as time went on, we grew very close.  
A little closer than people would approve of.  
We were all we had left in the world that was for us only.  
And that was something we kept in mind.  
Nothing could hurt us if we stayed together.  
And we did stay together…..  
Until the night of the dealing.

My brother and I were the head of the team.  
The only rebels in the precinct…..or so we thought.  
News started growing of rebels in the northeast, and Conner thought we should go check it out.  
I'd advised against it.  
But we went anyways.  
I waited by the entrance to a backway bar in the nearest town.  
 _If I'm not out in about 25 minutes during any meeting, come look for me.  
_ That was our personal rule for each other.  
I waited for about 29 minutes.  
I strode into the bar, my hand resting on the handle of my favorite handgun.  
Everyone knew who I was, my hair the reddish-brown it had always been with my crimson-dyed bangs.  
I had earned the nickname "Crimson Killer" because of my trademark that I left with each White Cord kill.  
I slammed my hand on the bar, glancing at the bartender through lazily hooded eyes.  
"Where's the kid?" I demanded in a low voice that carried the threat of death's wrath.  
The bartender tried to play it like he wasn't scared as he continued to dry a double-shot glass.  
"Out back with Logan." He said in a slightly quivering voice.  
I nodded, taking my leave.

I saw them before they saw me.  
Conner was on the ground, covered by nothing but smudges of mud and bruises all over his body.  
The taller one pulled out a knife, kneeling down by my beloved brother.  
"You brought this on yourself, kid." He said in a tone that was both flirtatious and dangerous.  
Then the blade was in his stomach.  
I screamed, running over to my brother to hold him.  
The knife-guy stood up, laughing cruelly.  
"Well, looks like I'll be able to cash in a double with the Boss." He said, reaching for my shoulder.

Just as Conner breathed his last words to me:  
"I….l-love….you….."

I snapped.

A roaring power surged through me as I gave vent to a heart-broken, ear-rending scream of grief. 

The guy behind me was hit with the backlash of the force of my power wave.  
I stood up slowly, my grief quickly being replaced with pure rage.  
 _ **"So, this is how you conduct business?"**_ I heard the words come from my mouth, my body twitching as I felt myself changing into something else.  
My chest became flat, my voice deeper, more seductive.  
I changed completely, turning to face the creep who'd killed my brother.  
The last thing I remembered was grabbing his outstretched arm, then I blacked out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Johnny sighed exasperatedly.  
"Look, I promised your brother I'd look after you." He reminded me for the 1000th time.  
I looked down at the ground to the side of my right foot.  
Johnny was the only one besides Emma who knew about my transformation problem.  
I hated it when someone just knew something about me that I never told them.  
I guess that's why Conner made Johnny my babysitter – because I'm always trying to hide things from the others.  
I was going to say something snippy when we heard Shane laughing.  
I turned back around to see Josh spinning Shane around, being adorable.  
I chuckled at the same time as Johnny, and we glanced at each other.  
The only thing that we could agree on was that they were so cute.  
Shane was an "our world" equivilant of Irish.  
He had the voice for it, anyways.  
They reminded me so much of some people I'd known before all of this, but I…couldn't remember.  
Johnny looked at me with eyes that reflected my so-often felt confusion.  
I shrugged, and walked back over to the others, Johnny behind me.  
"Tobes?" I prompted, sliding my hands into my pockets.  
The new guy, Mat, stepped a little closer to me, a look on his face that almost matched Conner's whenever he got concerned.  
I looked away, anywhere but his face, and found my eyes locked on a small object on his left hand.  
Toby was giving the report, but my attention was on his small, gold wedding band.

 _ **Hey, guys.  
So, this is my first story involving YouTube instead of Animé, so it's going to be a little difficult this time. *he he*  
But anyways, I hope you enjoy it, and I'll see you with the next update.  
BUH-BYEEEE!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I stayed close to the others throughout the rest of the day, mostly Emma though.  
She told me the story of what had happened, and how they'd all gotten together.  
Somehow, I got the feeling she was lying to me, and I told her so.  
Emma seemed a little panicked at my statement of disbelief.  
"M-Mat, please j-just….don't ask anymore."  
That was all she'd say about it.

I sat back in "my corner" – the part of the cave I'd woken up in – and wondered why Emma had seemed so scared that I thought she was lying.  
Then Kaite came up to me, her eyes flashing multiple different colors.  
 _That's new._ I thought as she stopped in front of me.  
Kaite dropped to her knees, seizing my left wrist.  
"H-HEY!" I yelped out.  
Her grip was like iron cuffs.  
Kaite held my hand in front of my own eyes, pointing to my ring.  
"You can't wear this." She said harshly.  
 _Okay, that's it!_ I thought, standing up abruptly enough that I ripped my hand from her grasp. _I've had it with this kid!  
_ "Who do you think you are, my mother?!" I yelled, not caring if my voice echoed throughout the cave.  
Kaite shot to her feet, her eyes still flaring with many colors.  
"If you would SHUT UP for a second.." She started, but I cut her off.  
"You've been acting cold to me ever since I got here, and now you're trying to take the only thing I have to remind me of home?!" I shouted.  
I got no further.  
She slapped me across the face.  
 _HARD._  
"Just shut up, and listen to me, you idiot!" Kaite hissed through gritted teeth, grabbing my shirt front and pulling me in close as the others came into view. "You can't wear that because if White Cord finds out we have a married man from the Outside here, they'll track him down and kill him.  
"Either that, or they get turned into another one of their poor 'fucking-dolls' if they're a pretty boy like you."

 _ **Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I saw the horror of what I'd just said sink into his eyes, and I realized I'd been holding his shirt front a little too tightly as I saw blood trickling down my arm.  
"Damn button-ups." I growled, letting him go to tend to my wounds.  
Emma looked at me with shock in her eyes.  
I glared back at her, rubbing my wrist.  
Mat sat back down, his face having gone a deathly off-white.  
I immediately felt bad for having yelled at him, but felt awkward at the thought of trying to apologize.  
Johnny placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with stern eyes.  
"Do it." He murmured.  
Sighing, I sat next to Mat and without looking him in the face, placed one arm around his shoulders and pulled him to me, laying his head against my shoulder.  
Johnny took everyone to the map room again, giving me some time with the newbie.  
"Did I scare you?" I asked quietly, my voice still sounding husky with authority.  
I hated that.  
Mat mumbled an _mm-mm_ , making me feel worse.  
"I'm….sorry, kiddo." I muttered.  
He shifted a bit against my shoulder, putting his arms around himself.  
"I'm 29." He mumbled.  
I chuckled, thinking about how he'd said that earlier.  
"Okay, so you're not a kid." I consented, ruffling his hair.  
Mat tried to duck out of my grasp again, and again I had to see his eyes.  
I placed a hand against his cheek, gently turning him to face me.  
He looked so much like Conner.  
I found my hand moving on its own, gently rubbing his cheek with my thumb.  
He took my hand gently, pulling it away from his face.  
I felt a sad twang in my heart, and I had to look away from Mat to hide the tears that stung at my eyes.  
"Do I really look like him? Your brother, I mean." I heard him ask quietly.  
I nodded, wiping at my eyes.  
 _I miss you so much._ My heart whispered to the silence as our positions switched, and now Mat was the one holding me.  
I silently cried myself to sleep.

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~**_

 **~Time skip: next morning~**

Ever have that kind of night where your younger sibling can't sleep, so you let them sleep in your bed with you?  
Then when you wake up, you're both in weird positions?  
Yeah, that's what it looked like when I woke up the next morning.  
I'd forgotten that I'd been thrown into a reverse-angle world and that I'd spent the night comforting a girl who looked 12 years younger than me because she kept having nightmares about her brother's death.  
All my sleep-laden mind knew was I was lying next to someone, and I immediately assumed it was my wife.  
It wasn't until I'd sat up that it all crashed back in.  
I held my head in my hands.  
 _How am I going to get home?  
Am I ever going to see my wife again?  
She's probably really worried about me.  
_All these thoughts ran over and over in my mind as I sat there.  
I didn't notice Kaite get up and walk off until I heard a voice singing softly.

" _There's no way to say this song's  
About someone else.  
Every time you're not in my arms,  
I start to lose myself._

 _Someone please pass me my shades,  
Don't let 'em see me down.  
You have taken over my days,  
So tonight I'm going out._"

Even though it was sang softly, it echoed around the cave.  
Kaite's voice sounded so different when she sang, and I felt like she was hiding something as well.  
Not like what Emma was hiding, but more like hiding a person.  
I happened to know that song as well, and subconsciously, I joined in.

" _Yet I'm  
Feeling like  
There ain't no better place than  
Right by your side,_

 _I've had a little taste,  
And I'll  
Only spoil  
The party anyway,_

' _Cause all the girls are looking fine  
But you're the only one on my mind."_

Kaite spun around, her eyes doing that weird color-swap thing they do when she had intense emotions firing up.  
This time, they were a swirl of purple, green, baby blue, and silver.  
"Y-you…know that one?" She asked.  
I nodded, grinning lightly as I stood up.  
Kaite seemed a little shaken.  
"No one knows the songs I know." She said, her voice almost a whisper as she started turning pale again.  
I felt a sudden surge of protective panic as my feet sprang into action.  
I found myself at her side within seconds, holding Kaite up.  
"You okay?" I asked, setting her down gently.  
Kaite pushed me away, but a little less roughly than she had yesterday.  
"I'm fine." She muttered gruffly.  
I shook my head, standing back up, and heading to the side cave that was the map room.

Johnny's hazel-and-brown-spiked eyes were focused on me the instant I stepped into the room.  
Josh and Shane were playing a game with Toby and Emma that I thought I recognized.  
A stack of black cards sat in the middle alongside a stack of white cards, and they were laughing so hard that at one point Shane fell over backwards.  
I walked over to them, my eyes falling on the upturned white card.  
It said _Elves that went on strike because of Yarn Stores._  
I didn't get it, but I knew what the game was.  
"Cards Against Humanity?" I asked, sitting next to Toby.  
Josh looked at me in shock.  
I was getting that look a lot lately.  
"I thought I was the only one who knew the name." He said, looking at me in a sort of reverence.  
Emma glanced at me, her eyes warning me not to say anything.  
I shrugged, and said nothing as they kept playing, letting my eyes roam around the cave.  
They landed on Davie, who was sitting in a corner with Johnny.  
They seemed to be having some sort of conversation, except Johnny was doing most of the talking, it seemed.

 _ **?  
~~~~~**_

 _I think he knows._

 _ **Well, I KNOW that he knows.  
He remembers, too.**_

 _The real world?  
He remembers home?_

 _ **Yeah, just like you.  
No one except me, you, and Emma remember what happened.**_

 _Why can't we tell her-_

 _ **That he's absolutely fine?  
*pff* Then she wouldn't stop trying to get back.  
And we wouldn't be able to save both of them.**_

 _I don't want them to be hurt.  
But it kills me, not being able to form words in this world._

 _ **I know, bud.  
And I'm sorry, I wish I could help you.  
But I can't do anything.**_

 _Seb-_

 _ **Matthias.  
Trust me.**_

 _ **Mat's POV again  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I shook my head, and got up again.  
My ever-wandering eyes landed on a rift in the wall that was blocked by a slab of rock.  
I took a step towards that direction, then felt someone's eyes on me.  
It was Johnny, who shook his head at me. 

_**You**_ _ **REALLY**_ _ **don't want to go in there.  
It smells.**_

I heard his voice in my head, which scared me.  
I stared back him, trying out this new trick.

 _Johnny?_

He grinned, nodding and sliding his hands into his back pockets.  
I probably had the most priceless look on my face because he bust up laughing.  
Everyone turned around at that, looking startled.  
Even Kaite came into the room, her eyes flashing multicolored again, gold with flecks of bright orange.  
"Johnny…." She murmured.  
That was all she said.  
It was quiet, but Johnny must've heard her mind, because he turned towards her rather quickly.  
His smile faded, his hands left his pockets, and he walked over to the young girl.  
Kaite ducked her head, not looking up at Johnny, who placed a hand against her chest gently, right above where the heart is.  
Then something happened that I'd never expect of the tough girl.  
She threw her arms around Johnny's neck, and buried her face in his shoulder, her body shaking as she sobbed noiselessly into his shoulder.

 _ **Hey, guys.  
So, this is page two.  
I hope it doesn't suck too much, I'm really trying with this one.  
Laterz!  
-Kaite.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I couldn't help it.  
When I heard Johnny laughing, it reminded me of when Conner was still here.  
Conner and Johnny were always laughing about something, trying to keep the others happy.  
I couldn't help but cry.  
I know I was causing a very odd scene, but at the moment I didn't care.  
I was finally getting everything off my chest, letting everything out.  
Johnny picked me up bridal-style, and carried me out of the room.  
I kept crying the whole time, so many thoughts running through my mind that I couldn't say out loud.  
Once he set me down, I took his hand in my own shaking hands, and placed it atop my head, giving him permission to see my thoughts.  
I kept my face buried in his shoulder, the sobs dying off a bit, but not the tears.  
Johnny's shoulders tensed up as he saw everything I had in my mind.  
After a while, my mind-torrent was over, as were my tears.  
I took a few shaky breaths, still clutching at Johnny's shirt.  
I went to stand, but my legs gave way, and I blacked out.

 _ **Johnny's POV  
(weren't expecting that, were ya?)  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

She passed out.  
I went to pick her up when her grip on my shirt tightened again.  
Her breathing was more deep and controlled.  
I looked down at her hands.  
They'd changed.  
Her fingers were longer, slimmer, more like mine.  
She seemed taller as well, and her hair had changed color and length.  
This wasn't Kaite.  
"Markesh." I said calmly.  
Kaite's head lifted, and I saw two different colored eyes, one a dark brown and the other a hazel-brown spiked one, both holding a glimmer of lust and vengeance, different from Kaite's normal emerald green.  
I was right.  
"Jonathan." He replied in a voice so smooth that it gave me shivers.  
His voice always sounded like that.  
That was one thing I hated about him.  
Markesh sat up slowly, trailing his hand down my chest as he did.  
I did my best not to slap him.  
After all, he was still in charge of the gang.  
I brushed my blue bangs out of my eyes.  
"Why are you awake?" I asked.  
Markesh shrugged, brushing back his own dark bangs.  
"Dunno. Was she in mental distress?" He asked coyly.  
I crossed my arms, giving him a hard stare.  
"Yes." I answered, my voice cold with distain.  
Markesh laughed at my tone, which made my stomach turn.  
His laugh was said to be intoxicating for both men and women.  
I couldn't attest, though.  
"Aw, big bad Johnny doesn't like the way I conduct business?" He asked in a baby-talk voice.  
I wouldn't humor him by getting mad.  
Instead, I replied calmly:  
"You know that I don't. But, you two are the boss, so I don't argue."  
Markesh sat back against the wall, his eyes hooded lazily as he glanced at me, the spikes of brown that decorated his hazel eyes shining lightly.  
"Johnny-boy, you're so smart." He said, his tone husky and seductive.  
I turned away quickly, my cheeks growing warm.  
 _ **God, I hate it when he does that.**_ I thought to myself, shoving my hands in my back pockets.  
Markesh stood up, and walked to the other side of the room.  
I watched as he picked up a bag and hoist it onto his shoulders.  
"Going out again?" I asked, not bothering to ask when he'd be coming back.  
Markesh just grinned at me, and started out.  
"Don't take too long." I called to him.  
He stopped right before the entrance of the cave.  
I swallowed hard.  
 _ **Oh, crap.**_  
Markesh turned back to me, a sincere smile on his face.  
"I won't. Promise." He called back.  
Then he was gone.

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~**_

I heard a new voice echo around the cave after Johnny's.  
I walked to the doorway to see what was going on, but only saw Johnny.  
"Who was that?" I asked, looking around for Kaite.  
"No one." Johnny replied, not looking away from the entrance.  
I turned full circle, still looking for Kaite.  
Johnny gave me a weird look.  
"What are you _doing_?" He asked me.  
I looked around one more time.  
"Where's Kaite?" I asked.  
Johnny looked at the entrance again.  
"On patrol for strays." He said, walking back into the room I'd just come from.  
I sighed, and walked in behind him.  
"Hey, Mat! Come play a round with us!" Shane called.  
I grinned, and walked over to join the game.

 _ **?  
~~~~**_

 _They've gone out again?!_

 _ **Yep.**_

 _And you did nothing to stop them?_

 _ **Hey, what COULD I do? He has that voice….**_

 _Oh, I forgot you're scared of him._

… _ **You didn't see what he did to them.**_

 _No, you're right. I didn't._

 _ **He's terrifying when he's like that, Matthias.**_

 _Sebastian, you have to be the strong one, remember?_

… _ **..I know, Matti.**_

 _Should we tell Lizzy that he's gone out?_

 _ **Yeah. Let's go.**_

 _ **Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I walked the streets of the nearby down, the hood of my jacket pulled low over my face.  
The others wouldn't understand why I did these things.  
I was going to have my revenge on these creatures…by giving them a taste of their own medicine.  
I've already taken out 37% of the moreover amount of White Cord's ranks, and that's all on my own.  
Not much, I know, but given the fact that I thinned their ranks by that much in a couple months…it's a lot.  
I ducked into a back alley across from a pub that was popular with White Cord and waited.  
I started humming a little song from home, something that She didn't remember.

" _Absolutely nobody knows me better.  
No one else can make me feel so good…"_

I stopped when I saw the door of the pub open.  
Good, it was the head of the next town over's division.  
He must've gotten transferred to this town division after I took out the last one.  
I stepped out of the shadows, pulling my hood back.  
I made sure he saw me by kicking a lamppost hard.  
It stung.  
"Ouch!" I yelped, hopping back a bit on one foot.  
The guy's head turned in my direction.  
I'd done this act so many times that I could predict his actions.  
First, he crossed the street to my side of the road.  
"Hey, you okay dude?" He asked, trying to make it seem like he was a nice, concerned passerby.  
I looked up at him, tears at the corners of my eyes.  
Tears are easy to fake, all I had to do was think of Connie. (That's what I used to call Conner.)  
I looked up at the guy, wiping at the corner of my right eye.  
"I'm good. Just a little clumsy." I said, chuckling a bit.  
The guy's smile faded as soon as he saw my face.  
I was what they classified as a 'pretty-boy', and I'd no doubt caught his attention.  
He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, and, taking my hand in his other one, helped me up.  
"You think you're gonna be okay to walk?" He asked.  
I nodded, pretending to test my foot on the sidewalk.  
He chuckled lightly, letting go of my hand.  
"Mind if I walk ya home? It's dangerous on these streets at night." He asked smoothly.  
The guy said it kindly enough, but I saw the dark glint in his eyes, a glint that was all too familiar.  
I smiled shyly, playing the guy like a fish on a line.  
"Y-yeah, s-sure. Thanks." I answered, throwing a little stutter to make it believable.  
The dude grinned lightly, and we started off.

At the edge of town, there's an abandoned farmhouse that I took charge of.  
That's where I conduct my business.  
About twelve minutes after we'd set off for there, I stood in the storm cellar in front of a mirror, admiring my own figure for kicks.  
Just until the guy woke up.  
I had several magic talents, one of them being that I can make people faint by whispering a certain set of words.  
It comes in handy for my business dealings.  
I heard a groan from behind me.  
He was awake.  
"Ah, good. You're awake!" I said cheerily, undoing my own belt without turning around.  
Another one of my gifts is mind search, sort of like mind reading except instead of seeing just their currant thoughts, I could rummage through their entire mind.  
I'd already gotten his identity a while ago.  
"Now then, Darrel wasn't it?" I asked lightly, turning to face my captive.  
His arms were cuffed to the frame of an old bed that I'd found a little while after I'd discovered the farmhouse, his shirt missing to expose his dark, muscular chest.  
He said nothing, but glared daggers at me the whole time.  
I slowly approached the bed, gradually slipping off my jacket and shirt.  
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" I asked, my voice deeply laced with a feral, gritty sound.  
I saw the look in his eyes change from hatred to momentary lust.  
Then it changed once more as he realized who I was.  
"Oh, God." He whispered.  
I chuckled softly as I crawled onto the bed, slowly advancing onto him.  
"Now do you understand why Momma says you shouldn't talk to strangers?" I purred, slipping my hand into his pants.  
Mr. Big-Shot looked slightly less terrified as I ran my free hand down his chest.  
"Don't worry." I whispered in his ear, laughing a bit as I did.  
"This won't hurt…..For long."

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~**_

It had been a while since Kaite had gone out, and I was starting to worry.  
My eyes kept scanning the horizon, every now and then falling on a building on the far left edge of the rise of hills that hid the cave from the nearby towns.  
Everyone except Johnny and Emma had fallen asleep.  
Those two were talking in the map room.  
Finally, my curiosity got the best of me, and I left the cave, headed for the building.  
As I got closer, I saw that it was an old farmhouse.  
There was one light on, so someone had to be there.  
I turned my head sharply at the sound of what seemed to be a pained cry.  
I shuddered, and kept going for the farmhouse.  
Almost the instant I stepped through the gate, a door in the ground opened.  
I ducked behind the front of the house as fast as I could.  
Someone, a young man, climbed out of the doors.  
It must've been a storm cellar once.  
He hoisted a long, dark bag out of the cellar behind him, placed it on the ground, and shut the doors behind him.  
I turned away from the sight, and sat down on a bench that was conveniently right next to me.  
I laid my face in my hands, breathing deeply and slowly. 

_Chill out, Mat. Chill…_

I felt a pair of slim arms wrap around my waist, and I gave a start.  
"Well, well. Looks like Little Matthew wanted to see me." A low, deep voice murmured in my ear.  
It gave me shivers that I didn't like, and I tried to stand up, but they were strong.  
Grabbing my arm, they whirled me around, slamming my back against the wall.  
My eyes snapped shut from the unexpected shock, and I heard a thud by my head.  
I opened my eyes to see a pair of mismatched eyes staring right back.  
"I know I shouldn't play with the big boys, but still…"He whispered, for it was a 'he'.  
I felt scared as he slipped his fingers over the edge of the top of my jeans one by one.  
Then he stopped, and withdrew his hand.  
"I'm not going to do it." He said firmly, setting his hand against my hip instead.  
He backed up a bit, and I could see his face clearly.

 _Whoa…_

He was kind of….well, he looked a little like me.  
He had dark brown hair that he brushed out of his eyes with his free hand.  
He looked about two years younger than me, and his eyes sparkled with lingering lust.  
He was about half an inch shorter than me, but well-built and strong-looking.  
"Little Matthew. *heh* Who would've guessed that you would've come to see me?" He said, sounding more like he was talking to himself.  
I couldn't say anything, just stare into his shining eyes.  
"Look, Mat. I would really appreciate if you didn't tell Johnny or Emma about this little run-in." He said gently, dropping his hand from my hip.  
I subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Promise me?" He asked me, holding out his right pinky.  
I laughed as I linked my own around his.  
"I promise." I answered.  
Suddenly, he clasped my hand in his, shoving his fingers between mine as he semi-lunged forward and locked his lips with mine.  
That was the last thing I remember before I woke up back in the cave.

 _ **Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I woke up with my head pounding and my neck sore.  
I felt a tiny stinging on my arm, and I rolled up my sleeve to see what was up.  
As I sat up, I realized my clothes were several sizes too long and too big for my slim frame.  
I also realized that certain articles of clothing that I should've had weren't there.  
I groaned as I caught sight of the purple welt on my arm, and slapped myself on the forehead.  
"Markesh." I muttered sourly.  
I heard a shifting nearby, which caused me to shoot up straight as a poker.  
It was just Johnny, who was asleep while sitting against the wall.  
I sighed, picked up my bag that lay nearby, and went to go get fixed up.  
 **~time skip: a few minutes~**

I walked out into the main room, pulling my hair up so I could think clearer.  
I'd wrapped my arm in bandaging rags to hide the unsightly blemish on my skin, and I'd washed up pretty thoroughly, so now I felt at least presentable.  
I looked around to make sure everyone was awake.  
Only one person was still asleep: Matthew.  
I groaned frustratedly, and strode over to kick him in the shin when an image struck me out of nowhere.  
Markesh was tormenting me, I knew it.  
He was showing me a memory from last night.  
It was Mat, smiling as he took Markesh's pinky in a promise.  
I shook my head as my face grew warm, slapping my cheeks hard a couple times.  
"Hey, Kid." I said loudly, kicking his lower back lightly.  
He sat up abruptly, looking a little disgruntled.  
"Ow…" He muttered, rubbing at his eyes.  
I scoffed, shaking my head as I set my hands on my hips exasperatedly.  
Another image flashed across my vision: Markesh had his hands against Mat's hips, a deep well of something strong slowly rising inside his chest.  
I slapped myself again, my face heating up even more.  
"Just get up!" I said sternly, turning on my heel quickly to hide my face from him.  
Markesh was becoming a pain in the ass.

 **~Later that afternoon~**

 _ **Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I tossed my new ball in the air, catching it nimbly.  
I'd only just today decided to explore the farmhouse itself, and I'd found it in an empty room.  
I grinned to myself as I thought of our new recruit, Little Matthew as I now called him.  
A song came to mind, making my smile wider.

" _One Night,  
And One More Time.  
Thanks For The Memories,  
Even Though They Weren't So Great.  
He  
Tastes Like You, Only Sweeter…."_

I was cut off by a slight rustling sound around the front of the house.  
I didn't need to over-extend my power to know who it was.  
"So, you wanted to explore my little house, Little Matthew?" I called out, laughing lightly as I sensed his surprise.  
Silently, I walked around to the front of the house and saw him peeking around the other corner.

 **Heh, adorable.**

I thought as I snuck up on him.  
I slipped my arms around his waist, scaring him into trying to pull away again.  
And again, I got him against the wall.  
"Hmm, pretty sure we've done this before." I chuckled, pressing my forehead to his lightly, my eyes half-closed.  
Matthew's face went a light shade of pink, making me miss a breath.

 **Oh, wow…**

He looked so hot, I was literally biting my bottom lip to keep myself from pouncing.  
He was married, I couldn't do that.  
Matthew could tell that I was holding back desperately, and his pink receded.  
I flinched when the tips of his fingers barely brushed my cheek, my eyes shutting tightly.  
He stopped, then took hold of my wrists gently.  
"You should move." He said quietly. "It'll help."  
I nodded, lowering my arms gingerly.  
Mat didn't let go of my wrists until my hands were by my sides.  
"U-um, s-sorry." I mumbled, dropping my head in shame.  
Matthew seemed surprised again.  
I didn't look up at him, I didn't want to.  
Nah, that was a lie.  
I really wanted to look at him, but I just couldn't do it.  
If I did, I'd probably just hurt him.  
It was the only thing I knew how to do right….and that thing was 'doing' others very roughly.  
Matthew ran his fingers through my bangs, and instinctively I opened my eyes in surprise.  
His dark brown eyes were shimmering with some sort of…..knowledge, I wanted to call it.  
I smiled back, then I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out as a voice in my head said:

 _I know who you are.  
You seem so familiar.  
I just can't put a familiar name on your face.  
But you're Kaite's power, aren't you?  
Kaite's ability?_

I fell to my knees as my legs gave way.  
An ability, a power?  
Was that all I really was to them?  
Mat dropped to his knees as well, concern written on his face.  
"Are you okay? Johnny told me that my mental voice was a little overpowering, but I didn't think…" He started, but I put a finger to his lips, silencing him.  
"No. Your volume was fine." I murmured.  
Matthew sat back on his heels, obviously thinking about what he'd said.  
"Oh….Th-that's not what I meant when I asked if you were…..you know." He said apologetically.  
I looked up at him, feeling a little better, but not fully.  
"Apologize to me nicely." I said, placing my hand on his knee.  
The color returned to his cheek about five shades darker as he looked from my hand to my eyes.  
I could tell he knew what I'd meant, and he was trying to think of a way out of it.

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~**_

I couldn't think of anything.  
And he kept staring at me with those mismatched eyes he had.  
Finally, I thought of something that might work.  
"Well, c-can't do that if I don't know your name." I stated, doing my best not to stutter.  
One slipped out anyways.  
And he heard it.  
He grinned kindly, moving a little closer.  
"It's Markesh." He said smoothly, and I could hear the husky tone coming into his voice as he spoke.  
I pushed him back, and his eyes, which had started to cloud over again, cleared up.  
"Sorry." He muttered.  
I shook my head.

 _Great, the leader of the gang, and her super-power is turning into a lustful gay stripper who enjoys raping people? Eesh…_

I sighed, feeling completely and utterly confused.  
I didn't even know how I'd got to this weird world, and now the person who'd saved me was attempting to NOT rape me.  
"Oi…" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.  
Markesh sat patiently, his hands in his lap.  
Groaning in frustration, I just went for it.  
It felt so weird, kissing a guy, considering I was a guy myself.  
I made it as brief as I could, then sat back again.  
Markesh looked like a kid on Halloween, smiling brightly and sitting with his legs crossed.  
I facepalmed at the sight, sighing and shaking my head again.  
This guy was, like, 27 years old and he was acting like this?  
I stood up, brushing off the seat of my pants.  
"Okay, what exactly do you use this place for?" I asked him.  
Markesh's smile faded, and he looked down at the boards between his legs.  
I crossed my arms, giving him a stern look.  
I would have to take charge of the situation whenever he was around.  
Markesh kept quiet, drawing spirals in the dirt next to him.  
After a few seconds, I heard him singing quietly:

" _But, Mama, I'm in Love With A Criminal.  
And This Type of Love Isn't Rational,  
It's Physical._

 _Mama, Please Don't Cry,  
I Will be Alright.  
All Reason Aside,  
I Just Can't Deny,  
Love The Guy…"_

I knew this song, too.  
I found myself humming along a little before I caught myself.  
Markesh had heard me, and he glanced up a bit.  
With a small smile, he finally answered:  
"This is…..my playhouse."

 _ **Hey, guys!  
If you're curious about the character's origins, I'll be posting a Q-&-A page in a while, so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them.  
Luvs u, guys!**_

 _ **-Kaite.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I felt way more proud than I should've.  
I got him to kiss me.  
Pretty big accomplishment, if I do say so myself.  
I got to my feet after I'd answered his question, smiling sweetly.  
"Come on, I'll take you for a tour!" I chirped, taking his hand and pulling him inside after me.  
I wasn't going to show him my office, that was for sure.  
Where I conduct my business was nowhere he needed to go.  
I showed him around the house I'd only just explored myself today, the whole while forgetting that we were holding each other's hands.  
I took him through the house slowly, looking for supplies for the others.  
We found some dried foods, which Mat said we could boil for things.  
I had to admit, he was pretty resourceful about these things.  
After a while, we split up so I could explore upstairs.  
It'd turned into more of a supply run than a tour.  
I walked down the landing, looking in every room.  
The final door I opened held a sight that surprised me.  
"MAT, GET UP HERE!" I yelled, dashing into the room.

 **Oh, please don't be dead.**

My heart begged as I knelt by the cradle.  
Matthew slid into the room as I picked up the little bundle.  
I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that the baby was still breathing, but very malnourished.  
I mentally poked myself in the ass with a hot poker when I realized that I should have checked sooner.  
I could feel the magic in the baby as it coughed lightly.  
Mat walked slowly to my side as he saw what I'd found.  
"It's alive?" He asked incredulously.  
I nodded slowly, holding the baby close to my chest.  
I gently went into its mind to find the gender.  
"It's a little princess, Matthew, a girl." I whispered, turning to face Mat as my eyes teared up.  
He could see I'd already grown fond of the baby.  
"Come on." He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll take her back with us."  
I nodded, walking downstairs carefully with my precious bundle.

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~**_

Everyone was surprised when I walked back into the cave with one arm around Markesh's shoulders as he carried the baby.  
Josh, Johnny and Davie were the first ones to our sides.  
"A baby?" Josh asked, looking from me to Markesh and back to me.  
I made a face as I realized what he meant.  
"NO." I said sternly.  
Josh backed off the subject, his hands raised in surrender.  
Johnny stood close to Markesh, looking into the baby's eyes.  
"Markesh, where?" He asked.  
Markesh swallowed hard as he answered quietly:  
"The farmhouse."  
I watched as Davie made a little bed for the baby on the ledge.  
As Markesh walked over to the ledge, I thought of something.  
"Markesh! Markesh." I called, dashing over to his side.  
"What're you going to name her?" I asked the leader of the ragtag gang I was refuging with.  
Markesh shook his head as he used his magic to whip something up for the baby.  
Apparently, his magic was _"conjure"_.  
"I don't know." He said, petting her head gently.  
Then his eyes snapped up to meet mine, sparkling brightly.  
"Wanna help me look after her?" He asked cheerily.  
I must've looked stupid, because they started laughing at my facial expression.  
"What, like, you and me _'Together'_?" I asked slowly.  
Markesh shrugged, giving me a look that said _'Well…'  
_ "Not like that if you don't WANT to." He said lightly, turning back to the baby.  
I blew a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall.  
"Glad you're over that." I mumbled.  
Markesh chuckled, then groaned quietly and set the baby down.  
I shot back up, watching in slight concern as Markesh held his head between his hands.  
"Um, y-you okay?" I asked slowly.  
Markesh said nothing, but stumbled over to Johnny, who held him up as Markesh collapsed against him and passed out.

 _ **Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I woke up with a fever, my head pounding.  
I sat up slowly, groaning a little as an extreme dizziness came over me.  
I smoothed down my shirt quickly, just to be sure.  
I breathed a sigh of relief.  
Emma must've redressed me.  
I heard someone move beside me, and I quickly jumped to my feet, immediately regretting my choice.  
I fell on my ass.  
"Whoa, hey." I heard Matthew's voice say softly as he picked me up gently and put me back on the ratty mat that served as my bed.  
"Johnny says you should stay off your feet for a while." Matthew murmured, sitting back down next to me.  
I looked to my other side, and saw a little baby sleeping soundly.  
"What…" I mumbled, reaching for the little one.  
Images flashed across my field of vision.  
Markesh was telling me what had happened.  
"Wait, she was in that house the whole time and you never even check for survivors?" I hissed to myself under my breath.  
I felt a mental shrug at the back of my mind, and I growled quietly as I picked the baby up.  
"What did you guys name her?" I asked, fondling the baby carefully.  
Mat shook his head.  
"We didn't name her yet." He said, scooting a little closer.  
I didn't care how close he was for some reason.  
I looked into the little baby's face, looking for something to tell me her name.  
"Cassidy." I murmured gently, stroking her cheek.  
Mat looked at me, then the baby, then he smiled.  
"It fits." He said, chuckling lightly.  
I smiled at the little person that I held, thinking of how much I wanted the world to be better.  
If only for this little girl.

 **~time skip: morning~**

I woke up lying against a sleeping Matthew, one of his arms around me, and the baby still in my lap.  
I still felt a little off-put by the way I'd found out about the baby's discovery, but at the moment I was a little happy.  
I scooted closer to Mat a bit, holding little Cassidy close as I did.  
I chuckled a little as I looked down at the little baby, who was wide awake with the self-refilling bottle that Markesh had conjured in her mouth, her eyes roaming around her new surroundings and her not making a sound.  
"God, if this is some sort of second chance you've given me, this is one helluva way to do it." I murmured, sighing lightly and laying my head on Matthew's shoulder.  
For some reason, I felt really tired.  
Had Markesh been overextending his powers again?  
I felt Mat shift under my head, and I lifted my head slightly.  
Mat rubbed at his eyes, looking a little disoriented.  
Not caring at the moment, I laid my head back down on his shoulder.  
Mat looked at me in surprise.  
"Kaite?" He said in astonishment.  
I grunted a noncommittal noise, closing my eyes.  
"Mph, 'm still tired." I mumbled.  
I felt a cool hand against my forehead, but I didn't bother to open my eyes.  
I heard him humming something, and felt his hand grow warmer.  
As his hand grew warmer, my fever seemed to drop, which surprised me.  
It seemed to surprise him too, because he pulled his hand away quickly.  
My eyes flew open, and I sat up straight, feeling much better.  
"Whoa. I guess you've got some kind of _healer's_ magic." I said, looking at his confused face.  
Mat shook his head slowly.  
"No, because I can use _communication_ magic, too." He said tentatively. "Johnny said so."  
Now I was confused, too.  
"Two magics? That's really rare in magic-users." I murmured, more to myself than to him.  
Mat shrugged, still staring at his hands as if they were alive.  
At that moment, Cassidy stopped sucking at her bottle, and made a tiny noise to get our attention.  
We looked at her at the same time, and she just smiled at us, reaching for Mat's hand.  
Smiling back at her, Mat held out his hand to the little baby, who gripped his bigger finger in her tiny hands.  
The expression on Mat's face was something that made my heart skip a beat.  
Was this what Markesh saw in the guy?  
Maybe this was why he'd told me to save him.  
The guy from the sky…maybe he really WAS an angel, like Markesh had suggested.  
I shook my head lightly to clear my mind, chuckling at the idea.  
"What?" Mat asked, looking at me with curiosity.  
I looked at him, not attempting to hide my smile.  
"Do you know why I brought you here that night?" I asked him quietly. "The reason I thought you should be with us?"  
Mat shook his head.  
I looked back at little Cassidy.  
"I was running from some of the regular patrol that White Cord High Command sometimes send out to hunt for stragglers. I'd actually just gotten away from them when something happened.

~"There was this huge noise, and some crazy-colored lightning.  
I didn't know why, but apparently Markesh thought we should check it out. So I did.  
"That's where I found you – inside a ring of molten glass on the outskirts of the region.  
"Markesh told me I had to bring you back before White Cord's soldiers got to you. He could sense this…huge amount of power in you, I guess.  
"He's always had a thing for OP guys. (Well, guys in general.) But I guess I could feel it too, so I used my primary ability – _transport_ – to get us home."~

Mat said nothing the entire time, just watched me as I told him the story.  
I was silent for a few second, then Markesh said something that I had to laugh at.  
"What?" Matthew asked again.  
I shook my head as the others rushed into the room when they heard my laughter.  
"Markesh says we should call her 'Cassidy-Jane' instead." I said, still laughing a bit.  
Mat grinned, looking at the little baby who still had a death grip on his finger, trying to prove her dominance.  
"Yeah, that does sound pretty good." He agreed.  
I raised an eyebrow at his statement.  
"Wow. You're actually agreeing with Markesh on something?" I asked in disbelief.  
Mat chuckled lightly, turning a little pink.  
"A little bit, yeah." He admitted, sitting back a bit.  
I scoffed lightly, watching as little Cassidy-Jane tried to bite Mat's finger with her little gums.  
"Ah, don't eat me, silly." Mat said gently, trying to pull his finger out of her grip.  
I felt that weird pool of foreign emotion in my chest again as I watch how he acted with the baby.  
I wondered at it as I shifted around to hold her out to him.  
"Here, can you watch her while I go relieve myself?" I asked sleepily.  
Mat nodded, taking Cassidy-Jane in his arms.  
I got up, and walked through the group standing behind us.  
"And why aren't you guys working?" I called back at them, my usual cold steel back in my voice.  
I grinned as I heard the scurrying of multiple feet.

 **I love my family.**

I thought, heading through the fern screen that separated the main cave from the back.

~Aside from the three side caves off the main one, and my private storage room, there was a secluded lagoon connected to the far back of the cave, which was only accessible from the cave, so…no peeping toms.  
In the way of lighting, the pool itself was luminescent, but not harmful, and it was a sort of dimmed-down version of a hot spring.  
It was just warm, though, so no actual danger of being boiled alive.  
There was also a hive of fireflies somewhere in the back of the cavern, so there were always small flocks of fireflies around.  
It sort of gave it a romantic air in a way, which I found no use for, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  
At the far back was a little room.  
That was the 'restroom' part of the 'bathroom'~

After the whole spiel was over, I sat by the edge of the pool, dangling my feet into the waters.  
I let out a deep sigh, hanging my head as I thought about how much I wished things could be as peaceful as this room.  
I felt my chest decrease in size before I blacked out, letting Markesh out.

 _ **Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I blew a sigh as I went to check for her effects.  
She wasn't wearing them before she let me out.  
"Huh, for once." I mumbled, letting one of the sleeves of the surprisingly oversized shirt fall off my shoulder.

 **She's wearing Connie's old shirt.**

I realized as I gently kicked my feet in the water.  
Kaite had been wearing shorts as well, which didn't bother me because we basically wore the same size pants.  
I snapped to as I heard someone come in.  
I rarely ever get caught off-guard, so I mentally scolded myself for it.  
The person who'd walked in was Johnny.  
I cheerily waved at my friend.  
"Hey, Johnny!" I called, still stirring the water with my feet.  
Johnny's eyes seemed to slide a little out of focus when he realized it was me.  
I thought it was a trick of the light, but I could've sworn that I could see a tiny spark of lust in his eyes.  
"Hey." He replied stiffly, walking over to me.  
I smiled brightly, thinking of how much I wanted to play catch with Cassidy-Jane when she was old enough.  
"What's up, buddy?" I asked him, surprising myself with my almost child-like tones.  
Johnny looked as surprised as I felt as he sat next to me, his legs crossed.  
"Nothing. I just came to check on her." He said, shrugging a bit as he spoke.  
I nodded understandingly, mouthing _oh._  
Johnny and I didn't say anything for a minute.  
Finally, I broke the silence.  
"She let me out on her own." I informed.  
Johnny didn't say anything, but I could tell he'd relaxed a little.  
Feeling a little frustrated at Johnny's attitude around me, I groaned and got to my feet.  
Holding my hand out to him, I made one demand:  
"Dance with me, tough guy."  
He looked up at me in confusion as I conjured a small battery-operated radio with a CD slot, a disk already inside.  
I smiled gently, and asked one more time:  
"Please dance with me?"  
Sighing, Johnny got to his feet as I kept my hand held out to him.  
He took it, and I walked him over to a dry ledge to set the radio.  
I pressed play, turned the volume down low, and took him to the center of the walkway between the pool and the wall.  
"A little classical music never killed anyone, right?" I reassured him as I placed one hand on his shoulder and my other hand in his.  
He sighed again, gave a small shrug as if to say _'whatever'_ , took his position, and we just danced.

 _ **Hey, guys!  
This page was a bit shorter than the others because I was really stumped for a good story line.  
Sorry if it sucks, but I did warn you guys.  
-Kaite.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

I didn't understand exactly why he didn't always act as free-spirited as he did when we danced.

Johnny seemed a lot more loose and relaxed spinning me around.

I'd changed the music from classical to country, which suited both of our tastes much better.

For once, I felt like Johnny was actually okay with my existence.

He was smiling the more we danced, and I was too.

"See? Fun, huh?" I asked him, twirling out from him as the climax of the song started.

Johnny grinned, shaking his head.

"I still don't get you, though." He replied, pulling me back into his hold, and we just stopped like that.

I felt his chest against my back as I looked into his dark eyes, somehow getting the feeling that he had more to tell me than he was saying.

"John, just talk to me if you have something you want to say." I said softly, the music shutting off in accordance with my thoughts.

Johnny's smile slowly faded, his usual frown taking its place.

"No, it's nothing." He said, looking away and letting go of me.

I felt an unusual frustration welling up in my chest, and I grabbed his wrist.

"Johnny, _please._ You never talk to me, do you really hate me _that_ much?!" I demanded.

Johnny had been trying to get loose until I asked him that question.

He looked down at his shoes, his voice barely audible as he answered:

"I don't hate you."

My frustration slowly fell away as I ran his words through my head, and my gaze dropped to the ground between my own feet.

Then I felt his hand against my left cheek, which made me look up quickly.

Johnny was looking into my eyes with some intense emotion that I couldn't name, but it made my breath catch in my throat.

I was going to ask him what was wrong…when he kissed me.

I didn't know what to do, I just froze.

Only for a second, though.

Instinctively, I kissed him back, my hand slipping from his wrist, but he pulled away too soon for me.

Johnny looked at me for a second, then he just left the room.

Leaving me standing there wondering what the hell happened.

 _ **Mat's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~**_

I watched as Johnny came back out by himself, and Markesh followed a few seconds after, his face completely blank.

I stood up, Cassidy Jane asleep in my arms, and walked over to Markesh.

"What's the matter?" I asked him, but he just looked at me with that same blank expression.

"Huh?" He asked, squinting a bit in confusion.

"Markie, c'mon man." I said, the nickname slipping out of my mouth on accident.

Markesh's blank look lingered for a second, then he grinned at me.

"Do you know how long it's been since anyone called me Markie?" He asked me, a laugh finding its way out.

I shrugged carefully, making a little face.

"A while?" I guessed.

Markesh's laugh grew louder, echoing in the cave with a merry ring to it.

Emma came out of the map room, a look of alarmed confusion on her face.

Everyone else came out behind her, all looking curious.

Markesh ruffled my hair, kissed Cassidy Jane's forehead, and walked over to Emma, no doubt asking after any new developments.

I rolled my eyes, and blowing my bangs out of my face, I followed them to the map room.

Cassie whimpered a little, squirming a bit in my arms.

Turning my attention to the baby, I pressed the back of my hand against her forehead gently.

She was burning up.

"Markie." I hissed to Markesh, who was standing next to me.

Markesh looked over at me, and I took his hand, holding it against Cassie's forehead.

Markesh's eyes widened slightly in worry, then held his arms out slightly.

"Here, give her to me." He murmured.

I did as he asked, and watched as he conjured a new feed-bottle for the baby, which I assumed had a little medicine mixed in with it.

Emma was explaining the discoveries of several new White Cord bases laid about in the surrounding areas, but I wasn't really paying attention.

I was just watching Cassie, lying in Markesh's arms and sucking on her bottle.

Markesh caught Johnny's gaze behind Emma's back, and Johnny came over quietly.

Without saying a word, Johnny placed his palm against baby Cassie's forehead and closed his eyes.

"Just a cold." Johnny murmured, pulling his hand back and turning away.

Markesh just stared at Johnny, who stopped momentarily.

I assumed they were talking about something odd, because Markesh turned a little pink and Johnny went a slightly darker shade of red before returning to his former position.

Davie was humming something familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then I heard Markesh humming it as well, and all the while, Emma was discussing White Cord Locations.

 _ **Markesh's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

Standing next to Mat, I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

And yes, I do keep _**some**_ borders for personal space, I'm not a _**complete**_ pervert, thank you.

Cassie squirmed a bit in my arms, gripping the sleeve of my oversized shirt tightly.

I gently rocked her, shushing lightly.

Of course, I've had to get used to having my attention and Kaite's attention divided over the years, so when Emma said something critical about White Cord, Kaite gave me a mental jab in the chest.

I looked up at Emma, and said what Kaite was thinking:

"But how are we going to decrease their ranks if they've taken the citadel of North Kontia? That's the main thoroughfare of the country, and they can hole up in there, unreachable, for almost a year-and-a-half, at best."

Emma nodded, turning to Toby, who was our strategist (among other things).

"The structure of the south wall has always been unstable, due to it having been built over refuge tunnels that were built during the War of Celestials.  
"If we can find the entrances to these tunnels, we could get into the Citadel Square; the exits of the main tunnels were always located underneath the Citadel Square well." Toby said, rattling off this information as if he'd know this his whole life.

At that moment, me and Kaite were thinking the exact same thing:

"Nah, it's too easy. Does the High Command of the Cord know about these?"

Toby shrugged, and brushed his curly bangs out of his face.

"I'm not sure, but I had to dig through almost a Mt. Dakhm of documents and records to find these blueprints, so it's not too likely." Toby said, his deep, rich voice soothing as always.

I waited for Kaite to reply, but this time, she took a step in a different direction.

My head started spinning, and I clutched at Mat's arm to keep myself upright.

"Markesh?" Mat said, sounding worried.

I nodded to little Cassie, and he took her from me.

I had to leave the room before Kaite fully changed.

I shot a desperate mind jab to Johnny, and he helped me to my feet and assisted me out of the room.

I realized he was taking me to the washroom cave, but I didn't fight; I didn't have enough strength to, anyways.

As soon as we stepped into the room, I blacked out, falling against Johnny's chest.

 _ **Kaite's POV  
~~~~~~~~~~~**_

Waking up against Johnny: embarrassing.

Waking up against Johnny when I've been a guy for about three-and-a-half hours with no…necessities on: even worse.

I pushed myself away from Johnny, turning away and clasping my arms over my chest, my face burning slightly.

Johnny held a bundle by my left shoulder, which I took from him.

Johnny ruffled my hair and left me to myself.


End file.
